1. Field of the Invention
The subject matter herein is generally directed to delignification and fractionation of a biomass using organosolv processes, and particularly to such organosolv processes that include recycling of organic products from the fractionation process and for use in a solvent placed in contact with a biomass.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several attempts have been made to apply an organosolv fractionation process that recycles certain chemicals from lignin solvent used to delignify lignocellulosic materials and produce cellulose or fiber for C6 sugar that can be converted to renewable chemicals, biofuels and other sugar based products. One of the major drawbacks for this type of fractionation process is that solvent recovery may be limited, which directly affects the economic feasibility of the process. Therefore, there exists a need for a system that can maintain or regenerate solvent during a delignification process to increase economic viability.
Another economic drawback is that the cost of the fractionation of biomass typically is higher than the financial benefits realized from producing cellulose fiber alone. In other words, to have a profitable process, nearly all of the biomass should be used up, ideally with near zero waste, to produce more amounts of organic products in addition to the fibers. Thus, a desire exists to provide an organosolv process that can readily produce different and more classes of bio-chemicals during a fractionation process.